


If You Stay

by cerisepluto



Category: Voltron - Fandom, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, F/M, Flashbacks, Fluff, M/M, Or maybe fluff, Voltron, mostly angst, my intention is to make you cry and feel pain, voltron legendary defender - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-03
Updated: 2018-09-03
Packaged: 2019-07-03 02:17:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15809298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cerisepluto/pseuds/cerisepluto
Summary: James and Keith had been known as rivalries but secretly, there was something more. Opening themselves out in the world when they got older was difficult but pulled it through. Didn't pull through when someone important to Keith disappeared out his life. Soon enough, James had to deal with the same pain. Seeing Keith walk out on him. Seeing him again after a few years was heartbreaking for James that he couldn't stand being in the same room with him without yelling, reasons why he usually walked away. How will James deal with Keith now that he's back?





	If You Stay

I rested my hand on Keith's forehead, frowning as his temperature hasn't changed yet but smiled a bit. At least he wasn't cold. It was hard to see him like this. As a rival, I should have been fine. Laughing, right? I wasn't though. After the fight, I heard that the paladins were in the hospital and in a coma. I didn't realize how bad it was until I saw their injuries. Allura was the first one to wake up. The orange-mustache dude said that she probably woke up first because of her altean magic. I didn't exactly know how that worked so I asked if she could wake up the paladins. She took a look at each one of them and wanted to but Coran told her she couldn't since she was recovering as well. It would just drain herself out more and cause her to be in a coma longer. Allura apologized to me, telling me that all they need is time. At least a few days later, they woke up. Everyone but Keith. Maybe it was because he was the head, he got the worst of it. I'm not sure. It just wasn't fair that he was still asleep.

There was a moment though. It was awhile ago though. He woke up for only a minute, his upper body rushing up and he gasped, looking around the room. He then fell, his eyes closed shut, and started seizing on the bed. I tried to hold him down, screaming for the nurses and doctors to come. They soon pulled me away, telling me to calm down but I kept on asking if he was okay, what's wrong with him and etc. Kinkade had soon shown up and I rushed towards his arms as they were already open. He held me tight, knowing that was the only way to calm me down. Took me a few minutes though. Had to be one of the most terrifying things I’ve ever seen. And it hurt. A lot.  
  
I should have spent my time studying and helping out others of the mess the Galra made. And I did, I did help out. I jogged around, helping others move the mess the Galra had made and trying to look for people who were hiding. Most of the time though, when no one needed my help, I just laid on a chair, nearby Keith. Shiro had told me to watch him since he was busy with giving announcements for the people. He must have knew that I was really worried about Keith. Maybe Kinkade told him. I wasn't sure but I didn't complain. I was going to find an excuse to see him anyway, I was glad Shiro gave me one.The rest of the cadets he worked with came in as well. One of them, the Cuban one, asked what I was doing here with Keith. Didn’t take me long to answer of course. I already figured out what to say.  
   
“I have to keep an eye on him. I wanted to help out the nurses and doctors since they already had a lot to deal with so, the nurse assigned me this. If he wakes up, I have to keep him in bed so he doesn’t walk off. Also have to give him some water.”  
  
”That’s surprisingly nice of you, no offense.” Hunk replied. “See you’ve matured.”  
  
I couldn’t help but form a small smile. Would have probably given a full one if I didn’t remember past me. I wasn’t totally mean to people. I was only really mean to Keith. Why though? I mean, when we were young, we were always competitive. I was mostly jealous. I was one of the best students and here came Keith, not going what I had been through, offered such a great place because of Shiro. Made me feel like shit. Shiro saw potential in him but me? I felt empty inside that day and was fully against Keith then. I had to work extra harder because of him. No more games, no more laughs. I became more serious once I entered the Garrison and Keith wasn’t going to mess everything up for me when I had worked so hard.  
  
“Yeah, well, I am a nice person, even if I come off as a jerk sometimes.”  
  
”Sometimes?” Lance questioned.  
  
I glared at him, hoping if I stared at Lance long enough, he’d vanish but instead, he crossed his arms, giving me a cocky grin. Looks like things never do change.  
  
Lance was still Lance but I had to admit, he had to have matured just a bit. He still seemed goofy but more serious in situations. I saw that during the battle. Also heard what happened when he was Veronica. Dying just to protect her was definitely a lot for people to take in. But family must be important to him. I wish it was for me too. Lance had a good heart. Even with the girls he had dated, he never really hurt anyone. It was the goof that was usually getting hurt. He's more mature now. Probably still flirting with people though, especially after he was one of the people that saved the universe.  
  
Taking another look of them, they have grown into better people. Like Katie. I remember seeing her in the halls. She was young and small. She seemed taller, still curious and a bit more grown up than kids her age. Maybe even my age as well. I didn’t really know much about Katie since I hadn't really talked to her during school, other than they went by the name Pidge in the Garrison. Thought that was pretty smart of her though. Getting through the Garrison without being spotted? She was definitely clever, even at her age. It's surprising that the Garrison didn't catch her.  
  
Hunk was still a loving man but not as shy as before. Before, he didn't really talk much. He was a good kid, got good grades, helped others, even the ones who mistreated him. I was never one of them though. The only kid I was only mean to was Keith but that was because I was jealous. Doesn't make it right though. I had wondered how Hunk got through with it but it just seems he's a guy that faces anything, even in fear. Hunk was still polite, which I’m grateful for and still shares a laugh with people. He must have faced through a lot while in war. He didn’t seem much of a person who could take all of that but he did. His family must be proud but he should be proud of himself as well.  
  
”You guys probably have things you want to say to him but you all shouldn’t be out of bed,” I stated, my right eyebrow up as a question popped up. “Where are your nurses?”  
  
”Well, unlike you, the nurses are too busy with other patients to pay attention to us,” Pidge responded. “So we came here to see how Keith was doing.”  
  
I gave a small sigh, closing my eyes during the progress. I didn’t want to look after them too. As I opened my eyes, I noticed I was frowning. Why? Oh, that’s right.  
  
All of them were awake but Keith.  
  
”I’m giving you 5 minutes alone. When you’re done, back to your beds.”   
  
I got off the chair, pushing it back a bit. Walking past them, I turned to the exit and walked through the halls. Maybe some other doctors or nurses needed help. I needed to get out of there before I started thinking too much.  
  
Honestly, I don’t like hospitals. I may seem okay with it but I’m actually tense when I enter a hospital. It reminds me of bad memories and death. I feel on the edge everyday, entering a hospital just made me lose my grip. But being here with Keith helped a bit. Made me almost forget I was in the hospital. With nurses and doctors checking up on him everyday just sent me a wave on reality though. He was still asleep. Them, tellling me he would be alright... A man can only hear those words for awhile until they start to see that they shouldn't be believing and face what just is ahead. But why out of all people must it be Keith?  
  
“Hey.”  
  
Turning myself around, I smiled and waved at Ryan Kinkade. Pretty much my best friend. He’s been with me for a long time and even though he may seem like a tough, quiet kind of guy, he can sure make you feel safe and loved. He had helped me while Keith was away. But that's a discussion I'll talk about later.

“Hey Kinkade, what’s up?”  
  
“Nothing, just saw you come out of your boyfriends room. Was going to come in earlier but then Lance, Hunk and Katie came in.”  
  
“Yeah, they... Wait a minute-“  
  
My face heated up as I realized Kinkade had meant Keith as his boyfriend. punching him on the shoulder, Kinkade laughed quietly. I soon enough laughed as well but was still pretty embarrassed.  
  
In a low whisper, I asked “Is it that noticeable?”  
  
He just gave me a small nod, a smile forming. A groan escaped from my lips. I wanted to just sit down on the floor, I needed a break. More questions began to pop up. If Kinkade had noticed, did everyone else as well? Did the paladins know what happened between Keith and I? Did everyone know?  
  
“Hey Hey, calm down. I was just joking.”  
  
“Yeah yeah, I know, I just...” I could feel my eyes starting to close. I was tired, I was exhausted and having to feel like I’m doing everything was tiring me more. I looked over at Kinkade, my head tilting toward the couch, signaling I would prefer sitting down over there. As we walked over, falling on the couch, he just gave me a look. I already knew what he was gonna ask. My hands covered my face, my fingers rubbing my eyes as I tried to keep myself together and awake.   
  
“I know, I should have slept and I have but-“  
  
“You’ve been sleeping on the chair for these past 2 weeks but haven’t been sleeping right because of Keith.”  
  
Before I could argue, Kinkade raised a hand towards me. I couldn’t do anything but keep quiet. Arguing would be pointless. Whenever we did argue, Kinkade always seemed to win. Made me frustrated but also taught me that going against Kinkade was pointless. Too much work anyway.  
  
“I came in every night to check on a cousin of mine and then went over to Keith’s room, knowing you would be there. Who do you think keeps on covering you with a blanket?”  
  
I gave off a small laugh as my hand ran through my hair. It’s been awhile since I’ve comed it. I should probably check myself out later on. I haven’t really checked on myself since I’ve been with Keith or helping out others. It was a busy schedule, sure, but nothing I couldn’t handle. No one noticed anyway. Well, anyone but Kinkade.  
  
“Thank you for that, Kinkade. That means a lot after everything we’ve been through.”  
  
Kinkade laid a hand on me, giving me a small smile on which I returned. His smile never got old. His smile was also rare with people. Made me feel better that he smiled around me. Most cadets never thought it was possible that he could smile but they were wrong. Kinkade usually used his smile to make people feel comforted. Which explains why he always tried to smile when he was with me. He knew.  
  
“You’ve been through a lot more than I have James. You’re strong. May be an idiot sometimes but you always do whatever you need to make sure everyone is well and survives.”  
  
Kinkade looked behind him and I looked at his direction. I knew what he was looking at. He meant Keith’s room. Keith. The one still asleep while the rest of the paladins were awake. The leader that got the worst of it. The one who was laying in bed if it hadn’t been for James. People told him he couldn’t blame himself but he did. Maybe if he fought off more ships, maybe if he was in Atlas, he could have helped. He could have done something but he didn’t. Even if he couldn’t change what happened, he wished he could. He still blamed himself though.  
  
“He’ll wake up soon James. Don’t worry.”  
  
He gave me a small pat on the shoulder and walked away. I only looked at the side. I couldn’t stop thinking. What if he didn’t? What if he never woke up? What if someone had to pull the plug? I couldn’t be able to handle that. Not without even saying goodbye to him. Not without saying "I love you." I walked back to Keith's room, seeing that Lance, Pidge and Hunk had left. Walking over to Keith, I laid my hand on Keith's cheek.

It's been about 3 weeks. I shouldn't be worrying, I shouldn't be concerned, I should be fine but with everyone awake, it angered me that Keith was the only one. Tears started to form in my eyes. I bit my lip, blinking rapidly so they could fade away. I removed my hand from his face and grabbed his hand, sitting down on the chair near him and rested my head on his hand. 

"Please Keith, wake up. I beg of you."


End file.
